A Massachusetts Institute of Technology study found the Pittston Twp. airport lost 1.9 percent of its departing flights between 2007 and 2012 compared to an average decline at similar-sized airports of 15.4 percent.

“The Marcellus Shale has been really a savior for us,” airport Director Barry Centini told the Bi-County Airport Board on Thursday. “A lot of airports have seen 30, 40 percent decreases in passengers through the recession. We’ve been holding our own.”

In July, 17.6 percent of vehicles parked at the airport overnight, including a large portion from “the gas states” in the south and west, Mr. Centini said.

“Keep in mind, too, a lot of these gas companies are re-registering a lot of the vehicles to Pennsylvania license plates, and we’re still holding,” he said.

Luzerne County Manager Robert Lawton said as the industry becomes more established in Northeast Pennsylvania, companies could open more local offices and import fewer workers from outside the area — meaning air traffic could dwindle.

Lackawanna County Commissioner Jim Wansacz noted Lackawanna College is preparing more locals with skills to get drilling jobs and said he expects the industry to remain in Northeast Pennsylvania for 30 to 50 years.

“Eventually, our skills are going to get caught up,” Mr. Wansacz said. “There still is going to be a need for specialized people to fly in, so we’ll still have traffic. I just don’t know if we’ll have the traffic like we had a couple of years ago.”

Regardless of where travelers live, people with family sustaining jobs drive air traffic, said Mr. Centini, who hopes to develop regular flights to Pittsburgh to tap into more Marcellus Shale traffic among several new business and leisure markets with which airport officials are trying to connect.

Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O’Brien suggested a drive to get the public to “rediscover this airport” through air shows or military shows, “aviation days” for schools and opening an aviation museum with decommissioned, vintage military aircraft.

Contact the writer:

kwind@timesshamrock.com,

@kwindTT on Twitter

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